Finally, Meta gets its Big Tobacco moment.
The tech giant’s decision to pay more than $17bn (£12bn) to settle a landmark US lawsuit is being seen as a reckoning for a company that has got away with preying on children and ransacking its users’ data for decades.
Meta will bring in time limits on how long teenagers can use Instagram and Facebook, and notifications will be silenced during school hours.
But make no mistake: we should expect the company to do everything in its power to get around these restrictions.
Exes could get rights to your assets under law change
Unmarried romantic partners could be entitled to part of their ex’s assets if a break-up leaves them unable to meet their basic needs.
Some believe the proposals being considered by the Government would tackle “completely outdated and inadequate” laws governing relationships, Sky News reported.
What is being proposed?
- Unmarried romantic partners could ask a court to get involved if distributing the couple’s assets based on who owns what is not enough to meet the needs of each partner or their children.
- The court would distribute them in a way that ensures everyone can afford housing and living costs.
- Children’s needs would come first so the primary caregiver has enough resources for them.
- The courts would look at each partner’s earning capacity, financial resources, age, any disabilities and the length of relationship.
Who would the rules apply to?
The rules would apply to adults in romantic relationships who have lived together for at least three years or who share a child and lived together for any period. They would apply automatically, with the option for couples to opt out if they mutually agree. The rules are intended to benefit financially exposed women who sacrificed their careers to care for their children or victims of domestic abuse.
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The expert view
Many people consciously choose not to remarry because they value both companionship and financial independence. They should remain free to make that choice, and the law should respect – not undermine – it
Baroness Ruth Deech, former law professor and chair of the Bar Standards Board
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The tactic that could protect your pension from inheritance tax raid – and the risks
There has been an increase in people looking to use a new tactic to avoid their pension wealth being subjected to high inheritance tax after their death, experts say.
What are people doing?
Experts say more parents are asking whether they could use a lifetime annuity, which provides a guaranteed income for life, to pass on their wealth to an adult child after their passing. Here’s what you need to know.
- The move would avoid the usual high inheritance tax bill for recipients, although it is currently an option only offered by two providers and there are several risks to be aware of.
- A lifetime annuity is a retirement product, bought from an insurer, that turns your pension into a guaranteed income for life.
- A joint annuity can be used to continue paying an income to a nominated person – in this case, potentially an adult child – after, for example, a parent dies in order to avoid a high IHT bill.
What are the risks?
The annuity is generally irreversible, suitable choices are limited and the income paid to the child may itself be taxable depending on the father’s age at death. Financial adviser Zoë Dagless said the insurer is pricing the annuity on the basis that it could continue for the child’s lifetime, so you are likely to be giving up a fair amount of income compared with an annuity based on the client’s life only.
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Men ‘hate diets’ and struggle to lose weight on them
Men struggle to lose weight on diets because they are mainly aimed at women and seem too restrictive, research has found.
Avoiding the word “diet” in weight-loss programmes could help men because it is seen as feminine, reported.
What the research found
- Framing weight-loss programmes as competitions or challenges could help men, scientists said.
- Researchers at Anglia Ruskin University found that men felt dieting was associated with being denied food they enjoyed and were reluctant to commit to programmes if significant sacrifices were involved.
- Men were more likely to lose weight when dietary changes were designed by their partners or when they were supported by them.
- Having a buddy or mentor was also beneficial.
What was the study based on?
The study, published in the journal was based on interviews with 24 men aged 30 and over about their experiences of weight-loss programmes.
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The expert view
For weight-loss programmes to appeal to men, they should involve quick wins, early rewards and a degree of social competitiveness around aesthetic gains, ahead of health-specific requirements. This could involve sport or physical challenges, perhaps focused on strength or stamina
Justin Roberts, the colead author and a professor of nutritional physiology
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Top Gear to return to BBC – everything we know
The BBC has confirmed is returning to the broadcaster. The show has been on hiatus since presenter Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff was almost killed during filming in December 2022.
What we know so far
The BBC’s director of entertainment Ed Havard confirmed the news of the return at the Edinburgh TV Festival on Thursday. He said: “There has been a lot of speculation about this and we can confirm that is coming back.”
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What happened to Flintoff?
Following the crash, the BBC announced would not be returning “for the foreseeable future”, explaining it had “decided to rest the UK show”.
Who will host now?
- Havard declined to comment on reports that Jimmy Carr is being lined up as the show’s new host.
- However, reports claim talks are underway with the comedian.
- Joe Marler, a former rugby player who appeared in last year, is also being eyed by the BBC, according to Deadline.
- No deals are thought to be in place.
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The back story
- It enjoyed a second life when Chris Harris, Paddy McGuinness and Flintoff took over hosting duties from Matt LeBlanc and Chris Evans, before the crash involving Flintoff occurred.
Liver disease cases linked to obesity up five-fold
Cases of a linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes have risen five-fold in a decade, a study has found.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) happens when in the liver and is left undiagnosed, researchers said.
What are the symptoms?
- Symptoms include feeling very tired or generally unwell, and pain in the abdomen.
- People who are overweight or not active are more likely to develop MASLD.
- Those who have type 2 diabetes, are over 50, or have high blood pressure are also more at risk.
- New diagnoses doubled from 2012 to 2022, and those diagnosed with the condition were three times as likely to have type 2 diabetes, analysis of GP records found.
A closer look at the findings
The study by researchers at Queen Mary University of London and the University of Glasgow found that 2.4 per cent of adults – 283,762 people had the disease in 2022, up from 0.02 per cent (1,300 people) in 2003.
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The expert view
The diagnostic gap remains large compared to expected rates. At-risk groups such as those living with type 2 diabetes and obesity should be identified and -finding actively pursued
researchers at Queen Mary University and University Glasgow
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Thunderstorms expected across England and Wales
Flooding has hit part of the West Midlands as are expected across large areas of England and Wales.
A yellow thunderstorm has been issued from 5am until 10pm on Thursday.
What the warning says
The yellow warning covers swathes of the country, from Norwich and London to Cardiff and Manchester.
Some areas could see 50-75mm of rainfall on Thursday, as well as lightning and hail, which could cause disruption.
Warm temperatures with highs of 27°C or 28°C are expected, and there is a small chance some areas could see more than 75mm of rainfall.
Where the warning is in place
What happened in Birmingham?
There has been significant flooding in Birmingham. A flood warning was issued for the Perry Barr area on Wednesday night due to rising river levels.
The Environment Agency has issued 22 flooding alerts – meaning flooding is possible – in the Midlands and South East.
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The forecast for the rest of the week
- Further heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected on Friday across the UK.
- Further rain will move in on Saturday, followed by a mix of sunshine and showers on Sunday and Monday.
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Dozens of Britons missing in deadly Nepal flood
More than 160 people have died and hundreds are missing, including , after a devastating flash flood on the Nepal–Tibet border.
What happened?
- Floodwater swept along the Bhote Koshi river in Rasuwa region, in the Himalayas, at around 8.30am local time on Wednesday, destroying roads and washing away houses and bridges.
- More than 40 people were injured in the tragedy and are receiving treatment in hospital.
- Nepali officials said a further 826 people are missing, the majority of them tourists, including 33 Britons.
- Around 2,000 military personnel have been deployed by the Nepali army to assist with search and rescue operations.
What is known about the missing Britons?
Among the 33 Britons missing, 12 were with one tour company. Ram Kumar Adhikari, manager of Alpine Eco Trek, said the group included a 13-year-old girl, with the oldest member aged 65.
He said they had passed Chinese border controls to enter Tibet.
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The flood in pictures
The fact it took so long to get here is itself a staggering indictment of Big Tech’s influence and power.
How many children are spending hours every day scrolling through endless videos chosen by an algorithm designed to keep them there? How many teenagers have had their self-esteem shredded by unrealistic images circulating on Meta’s platforms?
At the more extreme end, how many children have committed suicide after being exposed to self-harm material on Instagram?
If phones are the digital equivalent of cigarettes then Meta is Marlboro, hawking Instagram and Facebook to get kids addicted early and make them lifelong users.
Instead of the Marlboro Man, Meta has Mark Zuckerberg, a greedy data vampire whose entire toxic business model needs a stake driven through its heart.
Now that he is facing his biggest reckoning yet, that day is one step closer.
The settlement was agreed in a case brought by 47 US states that claimed Meta put children in danger because its platforms were so addictive. The states were seeking $200bn (£147bn) for the damage Meta caused: the $17.1bn settlement is expected to be approved by a judge.
There are undeniably some positive things that have come out of it.
Notifications will be silenced from 8am to 3pm when children are in school. Younger users will be able to switch off autoplay features and there will be a time limit of two hours a day on Instagram and Facebook.
However, in a deeply manipulative move, $5bn of the $17.1bn is contingent on Meta’s rivals Snap, TikTok and YouTube settling with the states that sued and agreeing to similar changes.
Meta is portraying this as setting a new standard across the industry and making out like it is a responsible corporate leader. Yet it seems like financial blackmail to ensure there is a level playing field across all social media.
If the other companies don’t sign up it will put Meta at a competitive disadvantage, and with an annual revenue of $200bn, that simply cannot happen.
The deeper problem is that it is impossible to trust Meta and Zuckerberg, who have been caught out so many times their promises are meaningless.
This is a company that has been accused of worsening civil wars by spreading misinformation, and interfering in British democracy with the Cambridge Analytica scandal; and has already been hit with massive fines including €1.2bn (£1.03bn) from the EU.
Meta only settled the latest case because it knows it is losing in the court of public opinion and is trying to limit the damage. Five months ago it lost its first personal injury case, brought by an American woman who claimed she became addicted to Meta platforms and to YouTube (which is owned by Google). when she was younger.
Earlier this month, in a separate case, a judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay almost $1bn for breaching consumer protection laws.
Elsewhere in the world, the company is under pressure like never before, including in Australia where the government banned social media for under-16s. The EU is considering doing something similar and Britain is set to follow suit early next year.
The appalling cynicism of Meta’s staff has been laid bare by court documents in the US, which have showed an internal user-experience researcher bragging about how “IG [Instagram] is a drug”.
“We’re basically pushers”, a colleague responded.
Against that background, it’s impossible to believe that Meta won’t find a way to get around the limits it is offering to impose on itself in the wake of the settlement. The company has proved again and again it does not operate in good faith: it only cares about its profits.
The settlement is a good time to revisit the extraordinary report from 2021 in , which recounted a meeting between Zuckerberg and Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, in 2019.
Zuckerberg went to Cook for counsel about how to handle the Cambridge Analytica scandal but the response he got was scathing. The Apple boss replied that Facebook should simply delete any information about its users that wasn’t needed for the company’s apps.
The response left Zuckerberg stunned: Facebook’s entire business is about using that data to target ads to people and make money off it.
He didn’t get it then and he doesn’t get it now because there’s too much on the line.
Instead he will have to continue to defend the indefensible until users do the best thing they can to protect themselves and their children: delete Facebook and Instagram.
For confidential support, Samaritans are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org.